Holder to maintain a continuous elongated flexible materials in a coiled orientation

ABSTRACT

A holder to maintain elongated flexible materials in a coiled orientation, has at least one coil support assembly. Each coil support assembly has a first support and a second support. At least one roller is supported by the first support. The second support is positioned in spaced linear relation to the first support. The first support and the second support are capable of relative linear movement toward each other and away from each other. At least one roller is supported by the second support. A linear stop limits movement of the first support and the second support away from each other. A retraction mechanism biases the first support and the second support away from each other.

FIELD

There is described a holder that will hold video cable, electrical cord, air hose, Ethernet cable, multi conductor cable and the like in a continuous coiled orientation, will permit the line to be pulled out for use and will retract the line back onto the holder after use.

BACKGROUND

Holders are used to hold a line of rope, electrical cord, hose, and numerous other elongated flexible materials in a coiled orientation. A retraction mechanism is used to draw the line back onto the holder after use. The retraction mechanism, typically, consists of a rotating drum. When the drum rotates in a first direction line is fed from the drum and when the drum rotates in a second direction line is fed back onto the drum. The drum is spring biased to rotate in the second direction to feed line back onto the drum. U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,960 (Skowronski et al) entitled “Cord Reel Assembly” is an example of such a retraction mechanism.

SUMMARY

There is described a holder to maintain elongated flexible materials in a coiled orientation, which is believed to have a novel construction. The holder has at least one coil support assembly. Each coil support assembly has a first support and a second support. At least one roller is supported by the first support. The second support is positioned in spaced linear relation to the first support. The first support and the second support are capable of relative linear movement toward each other and away from each other. At least one roller is supported by the second support. A linear stop limits movement of the first support and the second support away from each other. A retraction mechanism biases the first support and the second support away from each other.

The above described holder retracts in a manner which is much different than a rotating drum. The amount of line that the holder can accommodate depends upon a distance between the first support and the second support, multiplied by the number of coils the holder is capable of supporting. It is preferred that the rollers be capable of supporting more than one coil. When a force is exerted upon the line, the first support and the second support move together and, in doing so, create slack which enables the line to feed out. Conversely, retraction is based upon travel by the first support and the second support back to their original positions away from each other taking up the slack and drawings the line back onto the holder, This will be mathematically demonstrated in examples which will be hereinafter provided.

In contrast to the drum type hose or cord reels this mechanism does not apply a torque that twists the input end of the hose or cord. In a conventional reel it is necessary to have slip rings (electrical) or o-rings (fluid) to prevent a twisting failure when the hose or cord is wound and unwound. With this mechanism there is no twisting of the flexible hose or cord.

A significant benefit of this cord reel arrangement when used with electrical cords, Audio Cable, Ethernet cable, hoses, and other multi conductor cords is that there is no cutting or rewiring required that would adversely affect existing electrical certifications and/or breech the integrity of the circuit or path. This cord reel arrangement can support any length, gauge or number of conductors continuously, An extension cord, Audio Cable, Ethernet cable, hoses, and other multi conductor cords of a desired length can be purchased and inserted into the cord reel. When that extension cord becomes damaged or worn, it can be removed from the cord reel and a new continuous elongated flexible material inserted,

If a single coil support assembly is capable of holding six or seven feet of coiled line, a greater length of line can be accommodated by merely providing more than one coil support assembly so that, in combination, the desired greater length is accommodated.

It is preferred, but not essential, that the one or more coil support assembly be encased within a housing.

There will hereafter be described a retraction mechanism that is in the form of a telescopically extendible cylinder having a retracted position and an extended position. It will be appreciated that any device capable of linear movement and having an outward bias into the extended position may be utilized. The telescopically extendible cylinder may be biased by a mechanical spring, an air spring or other biasing device that biased the telescopically extendible cylinder into the extended position.

It is preferred that the first support and the second support each have inner stops that engage the other of the first support or the second support and outer curved cod supporting surfaces with more than one roller positioned at spaced intervals along the outer curved surface. This enables each coil to be supported by rollers which define a curved surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, in section, of a holder having a single coil support assembly with first support and second support moved away from each other.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view, in section, of the holder illustrated in FIG. 1 with a heat source.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view, in section, of the holder illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, in section, of the rollers used in the holder shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view, in section, of a holder having three coil support assemblies with first support and second support moved away from each other.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view, in section, of the holder having three cod support assemblies illustrated in FIG. 5, with first support and second support moved toward each other.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view, in section, of a holder having three coil support assemblies illustrated in FIG. 5, showing the placement of the cods on the rollers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A first embodiment of holder, generally identified by reference numeral 100, will now be described with reference to FIG. 4 through 6. A second embodiment of holder, generally identified by reference numeral 10, will then be described with reference to FIG. 1 through 4.

Structure and Relationship of Parts for First Holder 100

Referring to FIG. 5, a holder 100 to maintain elongated flexible materials 11 in a coiled orientation includes a coil support assembly 12. Multiple coil support assemblies 12 may be used in conjunction with each other. in this embodiment three support assemblies 12 a, 12 b and 12 c are shown working in conjunction with each other. Coil support assemblies 12 a, 12 b and 12 c each have a first support 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and a second support 16 a 16 b and 16 c in spaced linear relation to each other, Outer curved coil supporting surfaces on first supports 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c have rollers 18 capable of supporting more than one coil of elongated flexible material 11 (FIG. 7). First supports 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c are capable of relative linear movement toward each other and away from each other. A linear stop 20 limits movement of first supports 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c away from each other and a retraction mechanism 22 biases first supports 14 a, 14 b and 140 and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c away from each other. Retraction mechanism 22 is a telescopically extendible cylinder 26 that has a retracted position and an extended position and is biased by a mechanical or air spring 28 to the extended position. Inner stop surfaces 30 on first supports 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 1 6 b and 16 c engage each other when retraction mechanism 22 is in the retracted position. Coil support assemblies 12 a, 12 h and 12 c may be encased together within a housing 24. Housing 24 has an inlet 36 and an outlet 38 through which flexible materials 11 may enter and exit housing 24. Housing 24 may be used primarily for aesthetic purposes, but may also act to protect the various components of coil assemblies 12 and prevent interference with flexible materials 11. As will be understood from FIGS. 5 and 6, the location of inlet 36 and outlet 38 may vary depending on design preferences or constraints.

Operation of First Holder 100

Referring to FIG. 5, an elongated flexible material 11 is held in a coiled orientation in a holder 100. Flexible material 11 is supported on first supports 14 a, 14 h and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 15 b and 16 c of coil support assemblies 12 a, 12 b and 12 c. Rollers 18 on first supports 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c rotate to prevent snagging of flexible material 11 as it is moved in and out of holder 100. Elongated flexible material 11 is coiled on coil support assemblies 12 a, 12 b and 12 c in alternating directions such that the coils on support assemblies 12 a and 12 c are coiled in the same orientation and coils on support assembly 12 b is coiled in the opposite orientation. First supports 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c are capable of linear movement toward and away from each other. A linear stop 20 limits movement of first supports 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c away from each other and a retraction mechanism 22 biases first support 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c away from each other. Retraction mechanism 22 is biased by a mechanical or air spring 28 into an extended position and may also be retracted into a retracted position.

Telescopically extendible cylinder 26 is responsible for the positioning of retraction mechanism 22. inner stop surfaces 30 on first support 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c engage each other when retraction mechanism 22 is in the retracted position.

Referring to FIG. 6, When flexible material 11 is pulled from housing 24 through outlet 38, retraction mechanism 22 begins to move into a retracted position. As more flexible material 11 is pulled from housing 24 first supports 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 h and 16 c continue to move towards each other until inner stop surfaces 30 on first supports 14 a, 14 b and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 h and 16 c engage. Once inner stop surfaces 30 have been engaged no additional flexible material 11 may be removed from housing 24. Movement of first supports 14 a, 14 h and 14 c and second supports 16 a, 16 b and 16 c toward each other allows for extension of flexible material 11 out of housing 24 without altering the number of coils of flexible material 11 on coil support assemblies 12 a, 12 b and 12 c. Referring to FIG. 5, when tension on flexible material 11 is released air spring 28 biases retraction mechanism 22 back into the extended position causing flexible material 11 to be drawn back into housing 24.

Example with Measurements First Holder 100

Retractable portion of cord: 15 segments×17 inches=255 inches.

Unusable portion of cord: 118 inches (on rollers)+30 inches (15 inlet and 15 outlet)=148 inches Total cord length: 255+148 403 inches.

Efficiency (useable/total): 255/403=63%

Structure and Relationship of Parts for Second Holder 10

Referring to FIG. 1, a holder 10 to maintain elongated flexible materials 11 in a coiled orientation includes a coil support assembly 12. Multiple coil support assemblies 12 may be used in conjunction with each other, however in this embodiment a single support assembly 12 is shown. Coil support assembly 12 has a first support 14 and a second support 16 in spaced linear relation to each other. Referring to FIG, 4, an outer curved coil supporting surface 32 with rollers 18 is supported by each of first support 14 and second support 16 and are capable of supporting more than one coil of elongated flexible material 11. Referring to FIG. 1, first support 14 and second support 16 are capable of relative linear movement toward each other and away from each other. A linear stop 20 limits movement of first support 14 and second support 16 away from each other and a retraction mechanism 22 biases first support 14 and second support 16 away from each other. Retraction mechanism 22 is a telescopically extendible cylinder 26 that has a retracted position and an extended position, shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 3, reaction mechanism 22 is biased by a mechanical or air spring 28 to the extended position. Reaction mechanism 22 works the same way in both first holder 100 and second holder 10. Referring to FIG. 1, first support 14 and second support 16 each have inner stop surfaces 30 that engage each other when retraction mechanism 22 is in the retracted position. Coil support assembly 12 may be encased within a housing 24. Housing 24 has an inlet 36 and an outlet 38 through which flexible materials 11 may enter and exit housing 24. A pulley 40 is positioned near outlet 38 to control the bend radius of flexible material 11. This allows flexible material 11 to be bent to the smallest possible diameter allowed by flexible material 11 but prevents it from being wrapped too tightly and causing breakage. Referring to FIG. 2, a heat source 42 such as a light bulb, heat lamp, heat strip or heat tape may be positioned in housing 24 to prevent freezing of flexible material 11 in cold climates.

Operation of Second Holder 10

Referring to FIG. 1, an elongated flexible material 11 such as a video cable, electrical cord, air hose, Ethernet cable, multi conductor cable and the like, is held in a coiled orientation in a holder 10. Flexible material 11 is supported on first support 14 and second support 16 of coil support assembly 12. Rollers 18 on first support 14 and second support 16 rotate to prevent snagging of flexible material 11 as it is moved in and out of holder 10. First support 14 and second support 16 are capable of linear movement toward and away from each other. A linear stop 20 limits movement of first support 14 and second support 16 away from each other and a retraction mechanism 22 biases first support 14 and second support 16 away from each other. Retraction mechanism 22 is biased by a mechanical. or air spring 28 into an extended position and may also be retracted into a retracted position. Telescopically extendible cylinder 26 is responsible for the positioning of retraction mechanism 22. Inner stop surfaces 30 on first support 14 and second support 16 engage each other when retraction mechanism 22 is in the retracted position.

Holder 10 may be encased in a housing 24. Housing 24 has an inlet 36 through which flexible material 11 is inserted into housing 24 and an outlet 38 through which flexible material 11 exits housing 24. A pulley 40 is positioned near outlet 38 to control the bend of flexible material 11 and prevent it from wrapping too tightly and causing breakage,

The mechanism for movement of retraction mechanism 22 is the same as described in the above embodiment for first holder 100.

Example with Measurements Second Holder 10

Retractable portion of cord: 7 segments×36 inches=252 inches,

Unusable portion of cord: 55 inches (on rollers) 51 inches (cord ends)=106 inches Total cord length:252+106=358 inches. Efficiency (useable/total): 252/358 70.3%

The depicted embodiments include a version with a single set of supports that move together and another version with multiple sets of supports that move together. it will he understood that the number of sets of supports and their configuration may vary while still maintaining the general design principles and the final design will depend on design preferences and constraints.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

The following claims are to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, and what can he obviously substituted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can he configured without departing from the scope of the claims. The illustrated embodiments have been set forth only as examples and should not be taken as limiting the invention. it is to be understood that, within the scope of the following claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically illustrated and described. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A holder to maintain elongated flexible materials in a coiled orientation, comprising: at least one coil support assembly, each coil support assembly comprising; first support; at least one roller supported by the first support; a second support in spaced linear relation to the first support, the first support and the second support being capable of relative linear movement toward each other and away from each other; at least one roller supported by the second support; a linear stop to limit movement of the first support and the second support away from each other; and a retraction mechanism biasing the first support and the second support away from each other.
 2. The holder of claim 1, wherein the at least one coil support assembly is encased within a housing.
 3. The holder of claim 1, wherein there is more than one coil support assembly.
 4. The holder of claim 1, wherein the retraction mechanism is a telescopically extendible cylinder having a retracted position and an extended position.
 5. The holder of claim 4, wherein the telescopic cylinder is biased by one of a mechanical spring or an air spring into the extended position.
 6. The holder of claim 1, wherein first support and the second support each have inner stop surfaces that engage the other of the first support or the second support and outer curved coil supporting surfaces with more than one roller positioned at spaced intervals along the outer curved surface.
 7. The holder of claim 1, wherein the at least one roller of the first support and the at least one roller of the second support are capable of supporting more than one coil.
 8. The holder of claim 1, wherein a heat source is provided to prevent freezing of the elongated flexible material. 